Always
by Suna Kurai
Summary: "Art is something beautiful that is always there," she said, "I'll always be there even if I'm not beautiful. My heart is my art." He knew she'd always be there even how low he sunk. Even how he'd been to reach. She'd always been there. "Goodbye," he said
1. Their bond

"_Deidara-san!" yelled a twelve year old girl, "How are you? Are you done training?"_

"_What are you doing here?" responded the thirteen year old Deidara._

"_I just wanted to pay my senpai a visit," she smiled._

"_You don't have to follow me around, Tsuneni," he said. He was sculpting with clay again and it really fascinated her._

"_What are you gonna sculpt now, Deidara-senpai?" she asked while sitting down next to him._

"_Hm…? What about this?" his hands worked fast and gently. She noticed his artistic gaze upon his creation. He truly was a person to be admired._

_He was finally finished and he showed it to her, "Is a white tulip alright with you?" he said while handing her the piece of hardened clay._

"_It's beautiful, senpai," she said staring in amazement handling his sculpture with care._

"_It needs work,"_

"_Are you kidding? It's amazing!" she beamed, "I'll keep it forever!"_

"_You really think it's that good?"_

"_Of course…! Just like you senpai,"_

_Deidara looked at her in wonder about the last statement._

Tsuneni was your typical girl. She has short black hair with bangs that cover up the sides of her hazel eyes. She wasn't the tallest girl around. She was probably 162.5 cm tall. She has been searching for Deidara ever since that incident.

"_Deidara-senpai, what happened to you?" she said on her knees as she saw her senpai that she truly admired, turn into a criminal._

"_Art is an explosion! You wouldn't understand that!" he would yell._

"_No Deidara-senpai, art is everlasting like love!" she said through tears._

"_No, true art is something you only picture for a second and it will suddenly be gone before your eyes. That is the rare beauty I am talking about!"_

"_What about what you said back then? What happened to the artist which was Deidara-senpai?"_

"_I'm still here,"_

"_No, the artist who handled his art with such gentle care and love; the artist who wanted to make his art last; the artist who I loved all those years,"_

"_You say you loved me, then why are you opposing me?"_

"_Because I don't want you to turn evil right before my eyes," she was staring him in the eye. No matter how dignity degrading she'd beg him to come back._

"_People don't understand me, not even you,"_

"_Fine then, Deidara-senpai, let me get a glimpse of your art and let my life flash before my very eyes,"_

"_Have you made up your—"_

"_Yes! Kill me! Do it now! Let me get a glimpse of your art!" he pushed clay into his hands and he was creating a bird. She closed her eyes since she already saw his art but her life never flashed before her eyes. She could feel herself trembling but not in fear. She opened her eyes to find her beloved senpai gone. He flew away. He spared her. She wondered why._

It had been years since then. She was eighteen now and Deidara was nineteen. She heard he joined an organization called Akatsuki. He'd sunken so low she couldn't bare thinking about it.

She walked up to her room and locked the door behind her. The clay tulip from when she was twelve was still there. She preserved it perfectly. It was her most prized possession. It was her only memory left from him and those times when they were both so happy.

"I will bring him back, if I can't then I'll kill him if I still can't then I'll come with him," she whispered to herself the promise she made since then. She said this everyday but she couldn't get any progress. She cursed under her breath. Why couldn't she bring him back? She tried so hard. She wasn't weak. She was even in the Tsuchikage's secret service! Why couldn't she? She seemed qualified. She just fell on her knees crying. It had been years and she was still weak. She's not weak with her jutsu. She's weak with her heart. She had to let him go so she could kill him. She knew she was capable.

"No, if I can't win then I'll follow him," she said. She chose to die than to let him go. She wanted to let go but she needed to hold on. If she let go then it would be the same as dying. She held onto the clay sculpture and cried again like what she'd been doing everyday for the last few years.

Deidara had been walking with his partner, Sasori. They were ready to catch the one tail. He had been talking for awhile and then he shut up. It was normal for people to do this but his facial expression was different this time. Sasori noticed.

"What is it, Deidara?"

"Nothing, I just thought of something," he said.

Sasori ignored him. He had his own thoughts himself and it was best to leave him alone.

Deidara remembered her.

"Tsuneni, I wonder if you're still looking for me," he thought.

"_Kill me," was all he heard her say. Once she saw him forming his bird she closed her eyes. It would be easier for him to slip away. He was really considering killing her as an option but he can't bring himself to do that. After all, when he'd sunken so low, nobody cared. She was the only one who did. She was the only one who cared enough to stop him. She was the only one who loved him. She probably hates him now but he always wondered if she still wanted him back ever since that day._

_He slowly turned into the criminal she never wanted him to be but he still can't help but wonder if her feelings for him were still there; if she was still trying. After all those years, he wondered if she still loved him._

He shook off the thought. Right now, it was time to capture the one tail. He was meant to meet the fifth Kazekage, Gaara.


	2. Things that will never change

"You're late. Didn't I tell you not to keep me waiting?" Sasori scolded his partner

"It's ok, this guy was strong," he replied pointing to their half dead captive.

"That's why I said be prepared,"

"Yeah, sure, why not…?" he shrugged.

"We better get going, Deidara,"

"Sure, whatever you say, Sasori-Danna,"

They started walking to the Akatsuki hideout.

*~:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::~*

This hadn't been left unknown by the Hidden Stone.

"It seems that Deidara attacked the Hidden Sand," said a random shinobi in a restaurant.

This caught Tsuneni's attention and she was quick to listen in.

"Really…?" replied a woman, "As expected from a criminal,"

"Yeah, he was off to capture the Kazekage,"

"Well, did he?"

"He did, he's probably out to extract the Bijuu from him. Gaara is the one tails after all,"

"I still didn't think he'd join the Akatsuki," said the woman, "He would talk about pointless things like art. He's a ninja! Art is unnecessary,"

"Nah, it's just his hobby but I didn't think he'd go crazy over it,"

"What can you do? The guy's nuts,"

Tsuneni stood up and ran. She ran out of the random restaurant. She ran down the streets. She ran into her apartment and into her room. She went through her ninja supplies and pulled out all the necessities.

"I'm gonna follow him in the land of wind," she said while holding up a kunai.

*~:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::~*

"Wait!" the sound of a sand ninja came up from behind them. "Return Gaara to me!"

"Deidara, you go on ahead," Sasori ordered

"Right," he said jumping on his bird, "I'll go on,"

Sasori went to fight this sand ninja.

Deidara went on ahead and after awhile, he saw a woman staring up at him.

"It's been awhile, Deidara-senpai,"

"Tsuneni,"

*~:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::~*

"_Deidara-senpai!" yelled a certain fourteen year old girl._

"_Tsuneni, what are you doing here?" asked her year older senpai._

"_I'm watching you sculpt that's all," she smiled. Her long black hair brushed up on his face and it smelled nice. Her eyes were as bright as ever. Predictable, they always were._

"_I don't think that's a good idea," he said hiding the piece of clay behind him, "It needs work,"_

"_C'mon, let me see!" she was practically trying her best to pry it from his hands. Eventually, he gave up and let her see._

"_It's a bird. I told you it needs work," he said embarrassed._

"_It's so cute! I love it! Can I have it?" she was pleading with him. Her hazel eyes were sparkling._

"_Nah, I don't think it's the best to give out to a special person. I gotta do better," he said while taking the bird back._

_She blushed at his mention of her being a 'special person' to him and then she smiled._

_He ruffled her hair and smiled back._

"_It's fun to play with your hair, it always is!" Deidara smiled._

*~:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::~*

They just stayed like that staring into each other's eyes silently as if some kind of mutual understanding fell over them that made them quiet like that.

In Deidara's eyes, Tsuneni changed a lot since then. Her once long and beautiful black hair had been chopped off short. Her once curious and happy sparkling hazel eyes had been replaced into eyes that seemed to have been covered in tears for a long time. Her facial features had gone more matured but the most surprising thing was, what Deidara expected to change from her, didn't change at all.

"Deidara-senpai, come back, if not then I'll kill you, if I can't then take me with you,"

Deidara was surprised at her statement. The thing that hadn't changed about her was her feelings. He landed in front of her and hopped off the bird.

"Tsuneni,"

"Is that all you could come up with?" she stared into his eyes, "Saying my name over and over again?"

He didn't reply. He was too stunned at the moment.

"You haven't changed a bit, senpai," she smiled even though he could notice the tears from the corners of her eyes.

"This wasn't necessary, Tsuneni. Go back to the village,"

"Why don't you just kill me like where we left off the last time?"

"I… I can't do it even if I tried," he said honestly.

It was her turn to be surprised. Why couldn't he be able to kill her? It was so easy. He could just make her explode. Why didn't he just do that?

She took a look at the bird carrying Gaara. She didn't see him since the bird was facing them.

"I can see that you've finally perfected that bird. It's even animated," she smiled, "You're amazing, Deidara-senpai. You've always been in my eyes, even now,"

Deidara's lips twitched up to a smirk.

"Then that means you're blind," he told her straight, "Stop following me, it'll only cost you more pain,"

"Do you think I'm stupid enough to not know that?"

He was silenced by her statement.

"I knew that from the beginning," her voice trailed off as if she were remembering something.

*~:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::~*

_It was raining that day and she managed to meet someone she didn't expect to meet at all. It was Sasori._

"_Where is Deidara-senpai?" she yelled._

_He turned around with his puppet._

"_Deidara…? Who are you? Why are you looking for him?"_

"_I demand to get him back!"_

"_Well, that was a surprise. I didn't think the Hidden Stone would still be looking for him."_

"_No! I'm acting on my own free will! Where is he?"_

"_Don't waste your time on him," she was shocked, Sasori continued, "He's the type to die young,"_

_With that, he left her just standing there in the rain…_

*~:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::~*

"I'm ready," she closed her eyes, waiting for an explosion that never came. Instead, she felt arms wrap around her.

"Don't follow me," he said in a serious way, "There's no chance for me to come back and I don't think you'd want to turn to the dark side all because of me. It doesn't suit you."

He pulled away.

"Open your eyes,"

She did as she was told and he was gone again. She saw the bird drifting away. She was too stunned to even realize that it was probably her only chance of getting him back.

As Deidara rode his bird, he can't help but wonder why he couldn't kill her. Heck, he couldn't even get a single scrape on her. There was a side to him that no one ever saw except her. He shook off the thought, right now he has to be waiting for his partner. Finally, he came.

"You're late Sasori-Danna," he smirked.

"Don't be so irritated," he replied, "We got your target one tail after all,"

Deidara's lips formed a mischievous smile.

"Now, it's my turn but we don't even know where it is," he continued, "It'd be so much easier if it just comes after us,"

"Yeah… Speaking of that, which jinchuuriki is the great Sasori-Danna's opponent?"

"Well, my opponent is anyone as long as I get one Jinchuuriki then there's no problem, right?"

"Hmph," e smirked, "Well, we better get going then,"


End file.
